Snowdragon
by FlawedVictori
Summary: Yang Xiao Long, self-titled explorer, lesser-known treasure hunter, history buff, and occasional conwoman, goes searching for the treasure of the Snowscaled Guardian. She finds so much more than she expected, and more than she'd even thought to dream.
1. Chapter 1

**Helpless**

 _ **A/N:Lil bit of Snowdragon/Elderburn/whatever, in an au where Winter is a dragon. My tag/name for this one is 'Clever Sky Lesbian AU.' Enjoy!**_

 _ **If you like this, consider backing my P-A-T-R-E-O-N? Info is on my tumblr, Chickengums.**_

It had been nearly a millennium since she'd struck out on her own, leaving Father's domain on foot, with her head held high and her wings proudly spread behind her.

She'd willingly given up everything she'd had in life to get out from under his thumb, leaving with nothing but a robe she'd made herself, painstakingly sewn and arranged to allow her the appearance of regality, while still affording her wings their full range of motion.

She'd spent the next year or so searching for a homeland, and, once she found it, and digging out a cave in the side of a mountain to call her own.

The rest of that first decade had been spent taking whatever she wanted, adorning her cave with every luxury she could ever want, taken from ships, cities, anywhere that had anything her heart could desire.

That had been when she'd learned her first lesson; Cornered rats had a tendency to bite the cat, and humans were shockingly quick to feel cornered.

It had taken a cannonball to the side to knock her out of the air… but all it took for them to become complacent was watching her allow herself to sink beneath the waves.

Within a month, the humans were telling tales of how they'd defeated the mighty beast…

But she'd become smarter.

She spaced out her raids, taking only what she truly wanted, and letting them believe the tales they told themselves, that she was an entirely new dragon, and if it became an issue, they'd kill it as they had the last.

She never allowed them to believe her an issue, attacking pirates, conquering armies, and only the occasional merchant.

Soon enough, the people thought of her as a guardian, and even prepared the occasional cow as a sacrifice.

The thought of eating raw meat made her sick to her stomach, but she saw nothing wrong with taking the cow back to her cave and cooking it properly.

And that had been all well and good, for a few centuries…

But she'd gotten bored.

So, she allowed her story to fade, the myth of the Snowscaled Guardian to become just that.

She kept herself fed by feeding on wild creatures, finding herself enjoying the hunt more than the sacrifices humans would give her, and her hoard stopped growing.

She didn't have much, by her family's standards, though she had enough that even the most gaudy and affluent of kings would call her ostentatious… but only once.

And… time passed.

Years turned into decades, which blended together into centuries spent lazing around, reading or hunting or just thinking.

She took up hobby after hobby, finding joy in solitude for the longest time.

She even took to staying in her "human" form most of the time, switching to her natural form only to hunt.

And so, it wasn't a huge, fearsome dragon that interrupted Yang Xiao Long's attempt at robbery, but a pale, gorgeous, and above all, entirely nude woman.

/

She'd been awoken by a sharp _clang_ , and headed to the gold room to see what had fallen _this_ time.

To be entirely honest, she was glad for the excuse to rearrange the hoard rooms.

It'd been a couple decades, after all, and she was starting to go a _bit_ stir-crazy.

Though if it was that _fucking_ hat rack again, she was just going to melt it down.

The thing was more trouble than it was worth… and it was worth quite a bit.

The first thing she thought when she walked into the gold room was _'Hm, guess it_ _wasn't_ _the saddle.'_

The second was _'There's no way she can lift that.'_

The third was _'Why is she staring?'_

"She" was an incredibly aesthetically figure wrapped in snug leathers, with a small knife strapped to her belt, and another to her boot.

She had the longest, fluffiest blonde hair she'd ever seen, and she was currently lifting a saddle she'd taken from some merchant king or another centuries ago.

A saddle that even _she_ had trouble lifting, considering the majority of it was solid gold.

She gave a small cough and rolled her shoulders. "Pardon me, but _what_ do you think you're doing here?"

The blonde went even paler than she was, and took a quick step back. "Who're you? Are you a ghost?"

"I asked you first." Winter said, crossing her arms. "Now, _who_ are you?"

She shrugged in response, setting the solid gold saddle down and stretching her arms behind her back.

"Yang Xiao Long, part-time explorer, part-time treasure hunter, full time cutie. You?"

"I have many names." Winter deflected, taking a step towards the intrepid treasure hunter, and smiling when her hand moved to the knife strapped to her hilt. "Why are you here, Yang?"

/

Yang forced herself not to give a pleased little shudder at the sound of her name.

The way she'd said it, almost like she was savoring it, had sent tingles down her spine, but she forced those to the back of her mind and took a step forward, almost but not quite putting her into the woman's personal space. "Y'know, I could ask you the same question… but I can't help but notice you didn't answer my first one. Who are you?"

The woman smiled, then, and her heart nearly skips a beat. "I _did_ ask you why you were here first…"

Yang just shrugged. "Alright, fine. _I_ spent the last four years studying every old book I could find to figure out where the 'Snowscaled Guardian' made its home, so I could come clean the place out and live like a queen. So, who are you, and why are you here? Come to think of it, why are you naked? Not that I'm complaining, of course, but aren't you cold?"

"Her home." Winter responded, taking a step closer and relishing how Yang's face reddened.

Granted, she didn't exactly remember that being a typical human response to fear, but this didn't seem to be a typical human.

"Uh, excuse… excuse me?" Yang managed, forcing her eyes to stay locked with hers.

"The 'Guardian', as you've all called her, is a girl. Not an 'it,' and _she_ doesn't appreciate thieves."

"Treasure hunter." Yang replied, almost absent-mindedly… and then her back slammed against the wall, and the blonde is grinning at her, her lips only inches away from her own.

For a long moment, they just breathe, nearly in sync, and then Yang's smile widens.

"Oh, the big, scary dragon, heart aflutter and completely at the mercy of some poor human girl." Yang chuckles, and tilts her head to the side a bit, that grin not quite disappearing, but shifting into more of a challenge. "Alright, _really_ , who are you?"

"You… _you_ can call me Winter." She decides, allowing her eyes to shift, if only a bit, and the beginnings of flame to flare from her nostrils as she breathes out.

Yang goes a bit pale, but chuckles, leaning her forehead against hers. "I can, hm? Well, I'm _flattered_ …"

Their lips crash together then, and neither of them speaks for a long time.

/

Several hours later, when she's laying on one of the finest mattresses she owns with a dozing and _very_ naked Yang in her arms, she wonders how, exactly, it was that _nothing_ in her several millennia long life had prepared her for this eventuality.

And then Yang shifts in her sleep, and she finds herself making plans to get a more comfortable mattress for next time, and she starts wondering when, exactly, she'd decided on doing this again, or even for the first time, and then she's asleep, pulling Yang that much closer.

And that night, for the first time in her life, she has a completely restful sleep in her "human" form.


	2. Chapter 2

**Satisfied**

 _ **A/N:Okay I know I just wrote chapter one this week, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone.**_

 _ **If you like this, consider backing my P-A-T-R-E-O-N? Info is on my tumblr, Chickengums.**_

 _ **Also, my titles have been following a theme recently, huh?**_

Yang Xiao Long, self-titled explorer, lesser-known treasure hunter, history buff, and occasional conwoman was no stranger to waking up in a strange woman's arms.

The overwhelming feeling that she'd made a terrible mistake wasn't exactly new either.

Though, all things considered, this particular mistake probably outclassed everything else.

Except dating the mayor's wife… that one tied it.

Winter-the _dragon_ , the Snowscaled Guardian if she was telling the truth, a creature older than most recorded history… stirred under her, and her arms tighten a bit, hugging her closer by the waist.

Yang presses against the arms holding her experimentally, and the creature's brows furrow, her- _it's_ mouth twitching cutely, and it screws it's eyes shut.

It's such a cute gesture that she almost coos, and has to resist the strange urge to bend down and give it a good morning kiss.

She stays strong, though, continuing to push against the arms holding her… and then those bright blue eyes open, and settle on her.

For a single, wild moment, she's certain she's about to be eaten, ( _'Again?'_ a usually much less annoying part of her mind asks) but it just yawns.

"Uh… mornin'?" Yang offers, and it nods to her.

"Sleep well?" It asks, and gives her a light squeeze. Not quite a hug, but definitely affectionate nonetheless. It's voice is soft and warm, and Yang has to force herself not to lean in and give Win- _it_ a _real_ hug.

"Not bad?" Yang replied, pushing against the arms a bit more and relaxing a bit when Winter moved them.

She hopped off the bed and stretched her arms behind her, heaving a long sigh as her back popped.

Winter's eyes stray a bit, and she can't help but grin.

That, at least, didn't change, whatever she, or it, or… _whatever_ was.

And if _that_ didn't change, well… maybe there were some other constants?

"So…" She says, drawing out the word and putting her best flirty lilt into it as she bends down to look into Winter's eyes. "Was it good for you, too?" She shot Winter her best knowing grin, and was rewarded with a soft chuckle.

"Not bad." Was Winter's reply, and she stood as well, cracking her neck and giving a low, contented sigh.

"You've had better?" She asks, genuinely curious and more than a bit offended, and Winter just chuckles again, shaking her head slightly.

"Yang, last night… well, this morning, really, was wonderful." She crosses her arms, then, and her smile becomes a bit more sinister. "But what I'd really like to focus on is your attempted robbery."

Yang's heart jumps into her throat, and she shakes her head, saying the first thing that came to mind. "I thought you were dead!"

"Looting, then." Winter corrects, almost absentmindedly.

"I…" Yang eyes the nearest exit, and Winter shakes her head.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on hurting you. If I were still _that_ kind of girl, I would have just killed you as soon as I'd found you."

"O-oh." Yang managed.

Winter gestured to the bed, and Yang sat.

Winter gave her a warm smile, then started pacing around the room, walking past blank cave wall and ornate statues set with gems and not sparing a glance for either.

"I suppose my first question is… how did you find me? You said you found where I lived in a book?"

Yang shook her head, and leaned forward, resting an elbow on her knees. "No, definitely not. I spent four years reading every historical account of the Snowscaled Guardian's appearances, sorting them into believable stuff and what was probably fiction, and taking notes on where it-"

She floundered, then, biting her lip and looking up at Winter through her brows, visibly relaxing when Winter didn't seem angry.

"Ah, _you_ , I mean… sorry about that. Where _you_ tended to show up the most, which farms were believed to be blessed based on how often you took their sacrifices, which threats were dealt with and how long it took you to show up… though I had to discount a lot of that part once it became obvious the facts didn't line up in any way that showed you didn't just stumble across things, instead of having a sixth sense for when we were in danger like the old myths said."

She took a long breath, and the tips of her ears reddened a bit under Winter's approving smile.

"Uhm… so, I managed to figure out where you liked to fly the most, and what direction you tended to fly towards after saving people, and pinned down where you probably lived based on that."

"You found my home just based on that?" Winter asked, tilting her head a bit, and Yang shakes her head.

"Oh, god, no. Yang said, giving her head a quick shake. "That just narrowed it down to like, half a mountain range. I had to go exploring in person to narrow it down… I'm just lucky your cave was like, the third one I found. Almost woke up a bear in the last one."

"A bear." Winter repeated, and Yang nodded.

"Yeah! It was huge, I would have been so screwed, you have no idea."

Winter shook her head. "So… you went to all of this work to find me, or rather, my hoard… you humans will do anything to get rich."

"Hey, it was either this, becoming some gross guy's trophy wife, or rotting on the streets, yknow? At least this way, I got some adventure in before I died."

/

" _And just_ _where_ _do you think you're going?" He asks, his voice seeming to boom through the halls even at a normal volume, and Winter turns round to lock eyes with him._

 _She's in her Adapted form, her wings spread defiantly behind her and eyes that are still very human stare straight into foot-long eyes most, herself included, would describe as nothing less than demonic._

" _I'm leaving. I will not live my life as an extension of your power." She says, low and even, and he scoffs, bits of flame sprouting from his maw._

" _You'll be back as soon as you have to find your own food, whelp."_

" _I'd rather starve alone than thrive with you."_

/

Winter nods, then, and Yang wants to ask why she seemed so distant, there, but thinks better of it.

"So… yeah." She finishes, a tad awkwardly. "That's how I found your cave… and you, of course. Sorry."

Winter nods, taking the seat beside her, and a thought flashes through her mind that they're both still naked.

She pushes it to the side, deciding that can be saved for later, and that's when Winter speaks.

"So… no family? No friends?"

Yang brings her hair around, hugging it close. ""Not… not quite. My mom left me at the orphanage before she ran off somewhere. And I never knew who my dad was, so…" She shrugged. "As far as friends… well… no one I'd consider close. No one knows I'm here, if you're worried about that." She sighed. "No one really believed me when I said I'd figure out where you lived, either."

Winter's hand squeezes her shoulder, and Yang can't help but smile.

"Yang…" Winter says, and takes a deep breath. "You know I can't give you any treasure. More people would come, and I don't think the others would be as… personable… as you."

Yang nods, then, and gives a short bark of laughter. "Well, at least no one will be surprised. Yang, the big failure, back again from some dumb scheme…"

"Well…" Winter says, looking up at the ceiling. "No one said you had to go back anytime soon."

Yang just blinks.


End file.
